March 22, 2007
Minimizing the Stress of Medical Emergencies
Minimizing red tape in an emergency room can go a long way in reducing the stress that patients and families experience in these situations. Starting this week, the Einstein at Elkins Park division of the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia is offering Emergency Room Pre-registration to residents of Elkins Park, Northeast Philadelphia and the surrounding Philadelphia communities. The Einstein ER Pre-registration program is one of the only such programs in the nation, and the only program in the eight-county Philadelphia region.
To register for this program, area residents simply call 1-800-EINSTEIN or visit http://www.einstein.edu/prereg where they will voluntarily provide as much relevant information (name, primary care physician, insurance information, etc.) as they want about themselves and any family members they wish to enroll. Einstein logs this information and sends them special ID tags that can be carried in their wallet or on a key chain. If they ever have a need to visit the Elkins Park ER, the card is scanned and their information automatically entered, saving the patient valuable time and avoiding extra paperwork in an actual emergency.
Patient information is 100 percent secure, because the ID cards contain no personal information and can only be scanned at the Einstein at Elkins Park Emergency Department. If the ID tag is ever lost, the participant need only call Einstein for a replacement.
Einstein is piloting this program at Elkins Park. If the community responds, it will be extended to the other emergency rooms and physician practices in the Einstein Network.